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Therapy dogs can spread superbugs to kids, hospital tests find

1 名前：Anonymous 2018/10/06(Sat) 18:41:44.73

Therapy dogs can bring more than joy and comfort to hospitalized kids. They can also bring stubborn germs.

Doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore were suspicious that the dogs might pose an infection risk to patients with weakened immune systems. So they conducted some tests when Pippi, Poppy, Badger and Winnie visited 45 children getting cancer treatment.

They discovered that kids who spent more time with the dogs had a six times greater chance of coming away with superbug bacteria than kids who spent less time with the animals. But the study also found that washing the dogs before visits and using special wipes while they are in the hospital took away the risk of spreading that bacteria.

The results of the unpublished study were released Friday at a scientific meeting in San Francisco.

One U.S. health official said the findings add to the growing understanding that while interactions with pets and therapy animals can be beneficial, they can also carry risk.

“Whether covered in fur, feathers or scales, animals have the potential to carry germs that make people sick,” said Casey Barton Behravesh of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Pet therapy can help people recover from a range of health problems. Past studies have shown dogs or other animals can ease anxiety and sadness, lower blood pressure and even reduce the amount of medications some patients need.

But there have been episodes of the superbug MRSA riding around on healthy-looking therapy dogs.

2 名前：Anonymous 2018/10/06(Sat) 18:42:01.94

MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, often live on the skin without causing symptoms. But they can become more dangerous if they enter the bloodstream, destroying heart valves or causing other damage. Health officials have tied MRSA to as many as 11,000 U.S. deaths a year.

The bacteria can spread in daycares, locker rooms and military barracks, but public health efforts have focused on hospitals and nursing homes.

The Baltimore study looked at 45 children who interacted with the four dogs &#8212; petting, hugging, feeding or playing with them &#8212; over 13 visits in 2016 and 2017.

Among kids who had no MRSA, the researchers found the superbug on about 10 percent of the samples taken from those kids after the dog visits. They also found MRSA on nearly 40 percent of the samples from the dogs. The researchers also determined that the more time someone spent with the animals, the greater the chance of ending up with the bacteria.

The researchers think the dogs were generally clean of MRSA when they first came to the hospital, but picked it up from patients or others while they were there, said one of the authors, Meghan Davis.

“Our hypothesis is it’s really person-to-person transmission, but it happened through contact with the fur,” said Davis, a Johns Hopkins public health researcher and veterinarian.

Under hospital protocols, therapy dogs must be bathed within a day of a visit and are checked for wounds or other health problems. Children who see them are supposed to use hand sanitizer “but that wasn’t strictly enforced,” said Kathryn Dalton, another one of the researchers.

Later in the study, the researchers asked the dogs’ owners to bathe the animals with a special shampoo before the visits. They also had the dogs patted down every five to 10 minutes with disinfecting wipes at the hospital.

Those steps dramatically decreased the bacteria level on the dogs, Dalton said.

She hopes further study will show that such cleanings can reduce any risk of superbug infection.

“I really had the opportunity to see how important these dogs were to the patients,” Dalton said. After the sessions with the dogs, the kids “would say how much this made their day.”

3 名前：Anonymous 2018/10/07(Sun) 13:17:36.55

Sunrise's design is not a symbol of militarism. Please think. It is a way of expression for the sun common to mankind.

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Sheriff's deputy rescues skunk with cup stuck on head

A California sheriff's deputy overcame his fear of bad odors and used his bare hands to pull a plastic cup from the head of an unlucky skunk.

The Mariposa County Sheriff's Office said Deputy Crane called for backup Wednesday night when he spotted the skunk running around with a cup stuck over its head.

Sgt. Charman responded to the scene, but remained in his car and filmed as Crane attempted to rescue the animal.

The video shows Crane attempting unsuccessfully to use a pole to remove the cup from a distance, but he eventually gave up and used his hands.

"Deputy Crane felt bad for the skunk but was obviously reluctant to approach it," the sheriff's office wrote. "Deputy Crane mustered the courage and after nearly 10 minutes of trying to use his baton to pull off the cup (as shown in the video), grabbed the cup with his bare hands and freed the skunk from its bonds!"

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Empress Michiko turns 84, wishes for peaceful era...

1 名前：Anonymous 2018/10/21(Sun) 02:03:54.30

Empress Michiko, on the occasion of her 84th birthday on Saturday, wished that Japan will have a new peaceful era following the imperial succession next year.

"I am confident that, from May of next year, the crown prince will serve the duties of Emperor with his whole heart, just as his majesty has done," she said in a statement, referring to Emperor Akihito, who will abdicate the throne on April 30.

"Together with his majesty, I, too, shall keep praying for the good of our country and our people, and for peace in the new era that the crown prince and crown princess will be building together in the future," she said.

Crown Prince Naruhito will ascend to the throne the day after his 84-year-old father's abdication, based on his desire to do so due to concern about his age and failing health.

In what would likely be her last statement to be issued on her birthday, she recalled Emperor Akihito's 30 years of dedication to his work, and efforts to live as a symbol of the state and the unity of the people, a role stipulated in the Constitution, as well the nearly 60 years that she has been with him since their wedding.

She said the emperor devoted himself to his duties with "all his strength and all his heart," as he said in a rare video message in August 2016 when he signaled his wish to step down.

"At his side, I saw how, as he performed each of his duties, his majesty gradually deepened his trust and devotion toward our country and our people," she said.

2 名前：Anonymous 2018/10/21(Sun) 02:04:06.32

Since becoming the first princess from a non-imperial family when she was 24 years old, Empress Michiko said it was "not easy" by any means.

The empress, who raised her three children herself rather than leaving them to a foster mother, said parenting was "always a source of immense joy," adding it was "a constant battle against sleep."

It was a long custom in the imperial family to hire a foster mother but Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako are also raising their daughter Princess Aiko by themselves.

Answering a question from the press about what she wants to do after retiring from official duties, the empress said she wants to spend the rest of her days "peacefully" by her husband's side and read as many books as possible, especially detective novels.

"I have done my best to stay away from detective novels because I tend to get absorbed in them once I start reading, but I will no longer have to worry about having them near me," the empress said. "There are two or three P.J. Wodehouse "Jeeves" books waiting for me."

Looking back at the past year, the empress said she was saddened by a series of natural disasters, including torrential rains and earthquakes, which devastated many parts of Japan and overseas.

"I mourn with all my heart for the people who lost their lives to disasters across Japan and hope I can share, even in a small way, some of the sorrow of those left behind," she said.

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Saudi Arabia admits journalist is dead, 18 people detained

1 名前：Anonymous 2018/10/21(Sun) 02:01:00.23

Saudi Arabia admitted Saturday that missing dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead, with its public prosecutor claiming the U.S. resident got into a fight with people he met at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and died as a result.

Investigations into his disappearance earlier in the month are continuing, and 18 Saudi nationals have been detained, according to the Saudi Foreign Ministry.

The kingdom also fired several intelligence officers including some close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the ministry said, though it made no reference to the crown prince's possible involvement in the case.

"The kingdom expresses its deep regret at the painful outcome and stresses the commitment of the authorities in the kingdom to bring the facts to the public," it said in a statement.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he thinks the Saudi's account is "credible" but that what happened to Khashoggi is "unacceptable."

Trump told reporters in Arizona that he could consider imposing sanctions on Saudi Arabia. But he appeared unwilling to get too tough on the nation's key ally in the Middle East, given Riyadh's role in countering Iran's influence in the region and as a major buyer of U.S. military equipment.

Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post who had been critical of Saudi Arabia's royal family, vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

U.S. media have reported that Turkish investigators heard audio recordings that suggested Khashoggi was tortured and killed.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday the United States "will continue to closely follow the international investigations into this tragic incident and advocate for justice that is timely, transparent, and in accordance with all due process."